


Reach Out And Find Your Happily Ever After

by Meemith78, orphan_account



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Art, Disney World, Fluffy, Friendship, Inspired by Art, M/M, Mentions of PTSD, Other, Wholesome, not romantic - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-11
Updated: 2020-03-11
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:55:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23102836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meemith78/pseuds/Meemith78, https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: You take your best friend, Bucky for a wonderful day in the Magic Kingdom filled with magic, happy endings, and Hakuna Matatas!Featuring art by the lovely Em_dibujsb!
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Reader, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Comments: 1
Kudos: 14





	Reach Out And Find Your Happily Ever After

**Author's Note:**

> This came from a combination of the commission I asked for from the amazing Em_dibujsb and my very impatient waiting on my letter to see if I'm going to get into my third Disney College Program! I hope you enjoy!

It’s seven am when you and Bucky get to the front of the park. There’s a line of people waiting to scan their Magic Bands and go through security, but since the two of you are staying at the Contemporary Resort, you’ve already gone through security on your walk over. That was fortunate, because you’d had a little trouble getting through the metal detectors with Bucky’s arm. However, after a quick explanation, the security guards were quick to let your friend through and you were both on your way.

Bucky’s dressed in an orange t-shirt that matches the bright golden orange in his metal arm. It’s early spring, and even though you’re in Orlando, Florida, it can still get a bit chilly. Bucky opted for some black jeans and you’re matching him in a pink t-shirt and light jeans.

“It’s this way!” you tell him, taking his hand and dragging him to the entrance. You and Bucky have been friends for a few years now since he and Steve retired and moved to your neighborhood in Brooklyn. You’d grown really close, and though Steve had been worried at first, you promised him that if you could take Bucky on a vacation, that you’d take very good care of him. You understood why Steve was worried. They’d been through so much since the Blip and even more before that. It was natural that your best friend’s husband wouldn’t want to let him out of his sight, but Bucky had been adamant.

 _“I want to do this, Steve. I want to go out on my own and do something without you. I’m ready to test myself.”_ You guessed there’d been a lot more to the conversation than that. Maybe something about absence making the heart grow fonder or something like that. Though you weren’t sure how much fonder those two could grow of each other.

Originally there was talk of Steve coming too which would have been just fine with you. You loved both of your neighbors and were more than happy to show them around the Magic Kingdom, but as the time for the trip grew closer, Steve had decided he was needed to help train some new Avengers recruits, so it was just you and Bucky on this Disney World Adventure.

As you both scanned your magic bands, you grinned, taking his metal hand and pulling him through the tunnel onto Main Street USA. You’d practically grown up going to Disney World. You knew the parks like the back of your hand, but nothing felt quite as amazing as seeing Cinderella’s castle as you entered Main Street. You looked back and grinned when you saw the way Bucky’s eyes widened at what he saw. You heard him gasp as he took everything in. He had no idea. You’d planned the whole day for the two of you. No one deserved the chance to be a kid as much as Bucky. And if you could give him that? A whole day of Hakuna Matata? Well, what could be better?

You started with a picture of the two of you in front of the castle. You kissed his cheek as he grinned and blushed. People would mistake you for a couple all day, but it didn’t bother either of you. You were best friends, and it meant the world to you that Bucky was this comfortable around you. You knew he’d been through so much and you just wanted him to be happy.

After the picture, he saw the confectionary, and gasped, pulling you inside. The two of you decided to split a big, chocolate covered, Mickey shaped rice krispy treat as you walked around and shopped in the stores on Main Street. You laughed and took a picture as he tried on a Mickey hat, quickly sending it to Steve for a little update. _“Promise I’m taking care of your guy!”_ However, you both decided to save your shopping for the end of the night as you didn’t want to carry it around all day.

“C’mon!” you called, taking Bucky’s hand again and pulling him towards the Town Square Theatre. “We have to start this day right! We gotta go meet Mickey!” Bucky was of course completely on board with this and as you got into line, you began talking about everything the two of you had planned for that day. Rides, character meets, dinner, and of course, the fireworks. The both of you were a little nervous for that part. Neither of you wanted such a great day to be ruined by something like Bucky’s PTSD, but you both had decided that if it gets to be too much, that you would hold his hand and find a cast member to get him out of the park as soon as possible. He didn’t seem nearly as worried as you were, but you wanted your friend to have a great time today, and triggering his Post Traumatic Stress was not going to make that happen. Still, there was plenty of time before that potentially became an issue, and you were in line to meet THE Mickey Mouse! You could tell Bucky was nervous, so you smiled and gave him a little push. “What are you thinking about, old man?”

“I thought everyone was a kid here?” he asked, teasing.

“You’re always an old man, Buck.”

“Fair enough.”

“Seriously, what’s up?”

He took a deep breath and shook his head. “It’s stupid, but I’m...nervous? I mean, Mickey is one of the biggest characters of all time. And I knew him before the war. He’s one of the only...well, not people, but people that've been around almost as long as me and Stevie...I..want him to like me?”

Your heart melted at your friend’s words. How anyone could still see him as a villain after everything you knew about him, how gentle and kind he was...it was shocking to you. You didn’t understand it.

“Buck...He’s going to love you! Just take some deep breaths! We’re gonna meet the Mouse and then we’ll catch some rides, okay? It’ll be a blast!”

Bucky nodded and before too long, you were next. You grinned as you watched your friend light up as Mickey hugged him tight. You could have sworn you even saw a tear or two, but you didn’t mention it. Bucky introduced himself to Mickey and the three of you posed for some pictures. You hugged Mickey on your way out before scanning your Magic Band with the Photopass photographer and taking Bucky’s hand as you guys walked back out onto Main Street.

“You okay?” you asked, looking up at Bucky. He was grinning from ear to ear.

“Stevie is gonna be so jealous. C’mon. Let’s go ride some stuff!” You laughed as he pulled you towards the castle and to the left towards Adventureland.

The two of you worked your way through lands. You rode Pirates of the Carribean, one of your favorites, then made your way to Frontierland. You both got some ice cream, a Mickey Premium bar for Bucky and a Mickey ice cream sandwich for you. You talked and laughed as you waited in line for Big Thunder Mountain and when it was time for your Splash Mountain fastpass, you laughed at his cowardly attitude about the big drop. _“Barnes! You fought aliens and Nazis! You are riding Splash Mountain! Get in the damn log!”_ He loved the ride, of course, even if he denied it, the look of delight on his face in the picture was unmistakable. As you both wandered through Frontierland and into Liberty square, you checked your phone. “It’s already eleven!” you exclaimed and looked up at Bucky. “Let’s hit Haunted Mansion and then we’ll get lunch, yeah?”

“Oh..That’s okay. We can just go to lunch now,” he said, smiling.

“Bucky Barnes. Are you _scared_ of the Haunted Mansion?”

“No! Just..Ya know, hungry, so,”

“Well, okay. We can get food and then double back!”

“No! That’s okay! Let’s just keep moving.”

“You totally are scared!”

“No! I’m not!”

“First Splash Mountain and now Haunted Mansion?”

“I don’t like heights. And I’ve seen enough death. Besides, you should be glad you got me on Big Thunder! I was literally sitting in a train!”

Shit. You hadn’t even thought about it that way. You covered your mouth with your hands. “Bucky! Oh my god! I’m so sorry! Are you alright? I didn’t even think...I mean, Do you want to just skip rides? We can go meet some more characters if you want! The princesses!”

And then he was laughing. Hysterically.

“y/n, I’m just kidding! It’s fine! I’m fine! C’mon. Let’s go ride it!”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m positive,” he said, taking your hand in his and pulling you to the line.

The ride was so much fun. It was another one of your favorites, and you held his hand tight through it as you giggled with excitement and a little fear. Bucky loved it, too. You both laughed at the end of the ride when a projected ghost took both of your heads and juggled them in the mirror, and then it was over and you were both starving. However, as hungry as you both were, you were also eager to get back to the rides, so you quickly decided to skip over It’s A Small World and Peter Pan’s Flight to run to the nearest quick service restaurant Pinocchio Village Haus. After a quick bite, chicken nuggets for you, and a burger for him, you were both doubling back to catch both of the rides you missed. Bucky impressed you by singing every different language in It’s A Small World, and you both enjoyed Peter Pan’s Flight.

After both rides, you decided it was time for another character meet.

“We have a little bit of time before our next fastpass. What do you think? Should we meet Cinderella and Elena or Rapunzel and Tiana?” You both grinned at each other and answered at the same time.

“Rapunzel and Tiana!”

You both ran to the line and talked, laughing and giggling the whole time. Rapunzel was both of your favorite princess. Bucky sent a couple of texts to Steve with pictures of the park and you just grinned, happy your friend was having a great day. As you both got closer to the front of the line, you got ready to meet Tiana. She made you both laugh as you talked about gumbo and you told her that Bucky made the most delicious apple pie and she seemed very impressed. You didn’t miss the way he seemed to almost innocently flirt with her as he invited her to his place to try some sometime. You both posed for a picture and then it was time to meet Rapunzel. You watched as Bucky fumbled over his words around her, clearly more nervous around her than Tiana. They talked about Pascal and Alpine and how good of friends their pets would be if they got to meet and you watched, videoing the exchange to send to Steve. You let Bucky pose for this picture with her alone since you knew how much he loved her and then you were both on your way. You checked your phone and laughed, showing Bucky the text you’d gotten in reply from Steve.

> _You’d better bring my husband back and he better still be gay._

The two of you giggled about the text all the way through the line of the carousel, taking pictures of each other on the ride and laughed almost until you got to the line of your next fast pass: Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.

“Buck, we don’t have to do this one if the train thing is too much. I didn’t even think about it during Big Thunder and I-”

“Are you kidding?! I’m having a blast! Let’s go!” he exclaimed, grabbing your arm and pulling you through the line and into the car of the ride. The two of you screamed and laughed through the ride, and you taught him how to make the cart rock back and forth as it went through the course. By the end of it, you were both ready for another snack.

“Popcorn!” Bucky exclaimed, pulling you to a stand and getting a box for you both to share. You made your way to the back of Fantasyland, stopping in to meet Ariel and making fishy faces in the picture with her and then walking around StoryBook Circus, snapping pictures and talking before you made your way back to the teacups.

“No way! I’m going to barf on that thing!”

“Bucky. It’s Disney World. The teacups are part of it. It’s a walk on ride. We’re going. Come on!”

It took little convincing after that. You both piled into a blue teacup and began spinning. Once the ride was over you dizzily took pictures together and giggled as you made your way out of the ride. It didn’t take long before you felt Bucky grab your arm again.

“Pooh! Tigger!” he exclaimed. You hadn’t realized these two characters would be the cause of so much excitement for the man. “We gotta meet them! I grew up with them too!” You just grinned and pulled him along.

“We have more stuff to do first, but I promise we’ll come back and meet them later, okay?” you asked. You could tell he was disappointed, but he tried to hide it, agreeing that whatever your plan was was probably better anyway. You grinned. He had no idea. “How about this,” you started, trying to make it seem like you were compromising. “Let’s go ride the Pooh ride and then we’ll make it through Tomorrowland and it’ll be time for dinner and then we can go meet them, yeah?”

The man grinned and nodded and that’s what the two of you did. You made your way through the Winnie the Pooh ride, walked through Tomorrowland where you used your last fastpass on Space Mountain, your all time favorite ride. Bucky was insistent on It’s A Small World being his favorite. You watched The Carousel of Progress, and competed against each other in Buzz Lightyear’s Ranger Spin. Of course, Bucky being a master sniper, beat you at the shooting game no problem, but you were just happy your friend was having so much fun. You were both starving, and it was almost time for your dinner reservation.

“Just one more stop first!” you begged, and Bucky groaned.

“I’m so hungry, I’m going to keel over and die!”

You just laughed at him and tugged him over to the infamous Purple Wall.

“This is one of the best places in the whole park to take pictures. We have to take some here and then we’ll be ready for dinner, okay?” you asked, looking up at him. He grinned.

“If you say so!” he said, and you went to find another park goer to take some pictures for you both. You laughed and hugged and made silly faces, but when it was over, there was clearly one that was perfect. In the middle of your mini photoshoot, you’d reached in and hugged Bucky so tight. The person who took the picture got the exact moment when Bucky wasn’t expecting the hug, and he looked so surprised but happy at the soft contact. It was a look you’d seen on him many times as he still wasn’t really used to physical contact that wasn’t painful. Especially not when that contact wasn’t coming from Steve. The picture was great, and you grinned, quickly sending it to Steve with a purple heart emoji. Then it was time for dinner and your big surprise.

When you had planned the dinner, you hadn’t really realized that Pooh and Tigger were such a big deal to Bucky. You just thought it would be a good place to eat and provide quick access to the castle after dinner for the fireworks. The restaurant you’d chosen was called The Crystal Palace, and it was a character dinner with Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, and Eeyore. Bucky had no idea, and you knew he would be so excited. As you were led to your table, your waitress explained that the meal was buffet style, and that Pooh and his friends would come around to your table. Bucky’s eyes lit up and once the waitress had taken both of your drink orders and left, he turned to you.

“Pooh and Tigger and Piglet and Eeyore are going to come hang out with us while we eat!?” he asked incredulously. You giggled.

“Yep! You’ll get pictures with them and everything!” you explained, and it was then you saw his eyes fill with tears for the second time today.

“Thank you,” he said softly. It was clear that this meant more to him than you even realized.

“Of course, Bucky! It’s been such a great day! I knew this would be a great way to round it out.”

“Becca loved Pooh,” he explained, and your heart softened. Of course. His little sisters would have been very young when Pooh and the Hundred Acre Woods was created. It made sense then that these characters would mean so much to him. They reminded him of his sisters. “I don’t think she ever got to come here and meet him, so...the fact that I get to..feels like I’m doing it for her,” he said, shrugging a little.

It was your turn to cry now as you jumped out of your seat and hugged your friend tight. After a moment, you pulled back. “Let’s get some food, yeah?” you asked, and when he nodded, you both went to fill your plates up.

Bucky returned to the table with two plates full, and you had no doubt he’d eat it all. The two of you talked and laughed, and when it was time for the characters to come by, Tigger was first. Bucky was so excited. He jumped up and posed for pictures with the tiger before hugging him as he saw his way off. A few moments later, Piglet appeared and you both followed the same routine. Then Eeyore, and it was time for dessert. You could tell Bucky was starting to get nervous again as he watched Pooh sign autographs and hug little kids dressed as princesses and Jedi.

“He’s gonna love you, too, Buck. Just like Mickey. C’mon. Let’s get some ice cream, and by the time we get back, he’ll be almost here,” you explained, pulling him away from the table and his nerves. You both piled a couple scoops of ice cream into a bowl, and before long, it was time for Bucky to meet Pooh. You filmed the interaction again while taking pictures with his phone at the same time. Tears filled your eyes as Bucky explained to Pooh that he was his sister’s favorite character and that she had passed a long time ago and he felt like he was meeting the bear for her. Pooh gave him a huge hug and even kissed his cheek which made Bucky blush. It was the perfect dinner, and once it was over, you were both ready for some fireworks.

As you made your way outside, Bucky spotted a little girl in a yellow dress like Belle. He pointed at her and exclaimed “Look! It’s Princess Jasmine!” you grinned at him and decided to play along. He ran to the little girl, who couldn’t have been more than six, and acted star struck. “Princess!” he started, bowing to her. “I’m honored to meet you!” You were quick to bow too, and the little girl giggled.

“I’m not the _real_ Princess Jasmine! My name is Dot!” Bucky pretended to be shocked and you just grinned.

“What do you mean you’re not Princess Jasmine?” he asked, glancing up at the little girl’s parents who were clearly pleased that their child was getting so much attention. “You’re dressed like her and you look just like her! Where is Raja?” he asked, his hands on his hips. The little girl giggled again.

“You’re funny! I’m just playing dress up today!” she explained, and Bucky looked surprised.

“Really?!” he asked, selling his shock very well. “Well, you fooled me. I thought you were really her!”

Bucky and the little girl talked for a few more moments before the announcement came through over the loudspeakers.

“ _Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! Disney World proudly presents Happily Ever After: A Nighttime Spectacular in just five minutes!!”_

You pulled Bucky to a spot in front of the castle and grinned as he took your hand.

“You’ll tell me if it’s too much?” you asked, looking up at him. He just smiled back at you.

“Nothing could ruin this day,” was all he said, and then the park went dark.

You had seen the firework show many times, so you spent most of it watching Bucky. The lights from the projections on the castle and the fireworks lit up on his face, and you could see tears that actually spilled over this time as he watched in amazement. You had done it. You’d made your friend forget all the terrible things he’d faced in his lifetime, and he’d actually gone and had a good day. A great day even. It was your most favorite day you’d ever spent at the park, and as the grand finale of the fireworks shot off, he hugged you tight against his side. He turned to you as the lights came back on around the park and people started making their way to the exits.

“Thank you,” he whispered just loud enough for you to hear. You just smiled back at him and wrapped your arms tight around his neck, hugging him to you.

“You never have to thank me, Buck. This has been the best day ever. I’m so happy you got to come and see all this for yourself,” you replied.

Hand in hand the two of you made your way back down Main Street, stopping for one last photoshoot in front of the castle and stopping in and out of the shops to buy souvenirs for yourselves and of course, Bucky bought more than a few things for Steve. As you both exited the park together and walked back to your hotel, you knew you were in perfect agreement. Today was a Happily Ever After.


End file.
